The present invention relates to computer network applications, and more specifically, to Internet enabled applications.
The World Wide Web (web, www), a portion of the Internet which uses particular protocol, is an ever expanding information source which is used in work and play. The Web is accessed through a web enabled application. Web enabled applications include web browsers such as Internet Explorer and Navigator by Netscape, Corel Office for Java by Corel, Hotfava(trademark) by Sun(trademark), etc. and application programs such as Access and, Kona and Domino by Lotus, etc. For the user""s convenience, a today""s web enabled application may include a Favorites or Bookmarks list. This list is provided by the web enabled application, and is modified by the user. Generally, the user selects a site and directs the web enabled application to go to that site. This involves downloading the site web pages which may be a very time consuming operation. When the user is at the selected site, he or she may select the bookmark or favorite menu item from the web enabled application, and add the current site to the bookmark file. The site then remains in the user""s bookmark or favorites list until the user deletes the site.
However, web enabled applications do not allow a user to automatically add a site to the Bookmarks or Favorites list without first
* Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, Java, and HotJava are registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems Inc. in the United States, and other countries. visiting the site (i.e. downloading site web pages). This means that if the site is not available, the user can only add the site to the Bookmark or Favorites list by typing in the name and resource locator (RL) of the site. This is disadvantageous, because it requires the user to retype an address which is already available. 
Additionally, the bookmarks can only be added within the web enabled application. Thus, when a user receives an e-mail which includes an RL, he or she can not add the RL included in the e-mail to the Bookmarks list, without retyping it or visiting it.
Furthermore, the Bookmark list is permanent. Bookmarks remain in the Bookmark file until the user deletes them. In some instances, a user merely wishes to retain a To-Be-Visited site""s address temporarily.
The present invention includes a method and apparatus for including a To-Be-Visited (TBV) list in a web enabled application. A TBV list contains TBV sites, which are sites a user wishes to access at a future time. The apparatus includes an access unit for adding a TBV site to the TBV list. The TBV list is accessible to a plurality of web enabled applications. The apparatus further may include a dating/deleting unit for determining whether the TBV site is expired, and deleting the TBV site if it is expired. The apparatus further may include a resource locator recognition unit, which automatically adds a TBV site received in an electronic message to the TBV list.